The Oronogo-Duenweg mining belt is a designated United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site due to lead-contaminated soil and groundwater by former mining and smelting operations.Sites that have under...The Oronogo-Duenweg mining belt is a designated United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site due to lead-contaminated soil and groundwater by former mining and smelting operations.Sites that have undergone remediation-in which the O,A,and B horizons have been removed alongside the lead contamination-have an exposed C horizon and are incalcitrant to revegetation efforts.Soils also continue to contain quantifiable Cd and Zn concentrations.To improve soil conditions and encourage successful site revegetation,our study employed three biochars,sourced from different feedstocks(poultry litter,beef cattle manure,and lodgepole pine),at two rates of application(2.5%,and 5%),coupled with compost(0%,2.5%and 5%application rates).Two plant species-switchgrass(Panicum virgatum)and buffalograss(Bouteloua dactyloides)-were grown in the amended soils.Amendment of soils with poultry litter biochar applied at 5%resulted in the greatest reduction of soil bioavailable Cd and Zn.Above-ground biomass yields were greatest with beef cattle manure biochar applied at 2.5%with 5%compost,or with 5%biochar at 2.5%and 5%compost rates.Maximal microbial biomass was achieved with 5%poultry litter biochar and 5%compost,and microbial communities in soils amended with poultry litter biochar distinctly clustered away from all other soil treatments.Additionally,poultry litter biochar amended soils had the highest enzyme activity rates forβ-glucosidase,N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase,and esterase.These results suggest that soil reclamation using biochar and compost can improve mine-impacted soil biogeophysical characteristics,and potentially improve future remediation efforts.展开更多
The application of designer biochar has the potential to impact soil enzyme activity and soil nitrogen dynamics.However,very little is known about the mechanisms responsible for biochar-enzyme-nitrogen interaction in ...The application of designer biochar has the potential to impact soil enzyme activity and soil nitrogen dynamics.However,very little is known about the mechanisms responsible for biochar-enzyme-nitrogen interaction in highly weathered soils.The objective of our 3-year(2016-2018)field experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of designer biochars(DB)in enhancing urease activity(UA),total nitrogen(TN),total inorganic nitrogen(TIN),and nitrogen uptake(NU)at different growth stages(GS)of corn in a highly weathered soil of southeastern Coastal Plain region,USA.Experimental treatments have consisted of the control,100%pine chips(100PC),100%poultry litter(100PL),2:1 blend of PC and PL(PCPL),100%raw switchgrass(Panicum vaginatum,L;100RSG),and 2:1 blend of PC and RSG(PCRSG).All the designer biochar treatments were applied at the rate of 30,000 kg ha^(−1)to a Goldsboro loamy sand in 2016.Urease activity,TN,TIN,and NU varied remarkably with DB(p≤0.0001)at different GS(p≤0.0001)of corn.Soils treated with 100PL had the greatest UA(28.18μg N g^(−1)h^(−1)),TN(0.087%),and TIN(14.53 mg kg^(−1))while the least UA,TN,and TIN of 20.55μg N g^(−1)h^(−1),0.063%,and 5.42 mg kg^(−1),respectively,were observed from the control.The three-year TN average increase over the control was in the order:100PL(36.8%)>100RSG(25.8%)>PCRSG(25.3%)>PCPL(23.9%)>100PC(7.1%).The greatest NU of corn of 140.4 kg N ha^(−1)was from soils treated with 100PL while the least amount of NU was from 100PC.Overall,our results showed promising significance for the treatment of highly weathered soils since the application of DB did enhance UA and improve TN and TIN in the soils.展开更多
基金The information in this document has been funded in part by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency.
文摘The Oronogo-Duenweg mining belt is a designated United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site due to lead-contaminated soil and groundwater by former mining and smelting operations.Sites that have undergone remediation-in which the O,A,and B horizons have been removed alongside the lead contamination-have an exposed C horizon and are incalcitrant to revegetation efforts.Soils also continue to contain quantifiable Cd and Zn concentrations.To improve soil conditions and encourage successful site revegetation,our study employed three biochars,sourced from different feedstocks(poultry litter,beef cattle manure,and lodgepole pine),at two rates of application(2.5%,and 5%),coupled with compost(0%,2.5%and 5%application rates).Two plant species-switchgrass(Panicum virgatum)and buffalograss(Bouteloua dactyloides)-were grown in the amended soils.Amendment of soils with poultry litter biochar applied at 5%resulted in the greatest reduction of soil bioavailable Cd and Zn.Above-ground biomass yields were greatest with beef cattle manure biochar applied at 2.5%with 5%compost,or with 5%biochar at 2.5%and 5%compost rates.Maximal microbial biomass was achieved with 5%poultry litter biochar and 5%compost,and microbial communities in soils amended with poultry litter biochar distinctly clustered away from all other soil treatments.Additionally,poultry litter biochar amended soils had the highest enzyme activity rates forβ-glucosidase,N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase,and esterase.These results suggest that soil reclamation using biochar and compost can improve mine-impacted soil biogeophysical characteristics,and potentially improve future remediation efforts.
文摘The application of designer biochar has the potential to impact soil enzyme activity and soil nitrogen dynamics.However,very little is known about the mechanisms responsible for biochar-enzyme-nitrogen interaction in highly weathered soils.The objective of our 3-year(2016-2018)field experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of designer biochars(DB)in enhancing urease activity(UA),total nitrogen(TN),total inorganic nitrogen(TIN),and nitrogen uptake(NU)at different growth stages(GS)of corn in a highly weathered soil of southeastern Coastal Plain region,USA.Experimental treatments have consisted of the control,100%pine chips(100PC),100%poultry litter(100PL),2:1 blend of PC and PL(PCPL),100%raw switchgrass(Panicum vaginatum,L;100RSG),and 2:1 blend of PC and RSG(PCRSG).All the designer biochar treatments were applied at the rate of 30,000 kg ha^(−1)to a Goldsboro loamy sand in 2016.Urease activity,TN,TIN,and NU varied remarkably with DB(p≤0.0001)at different GS(p≤0.0001)of corn.Soils treated with 100PL had the greatest UA(28.18μg N g^(−1)h^(−1)),TN(0.087%),and TIN(14.53 mg kg^(−1))while the least UA,TN,and TIN of 20.55μg N g^(−1)h^(−1),0.063%,and 5.42 mg kg^(−1),respectively,were observed from the control.The three-year TN average increase over the control was in the order:100PL(36.8%)>100RSG(25.8%)>PCRSG(25.3%)>PCPL(23.9%)>100PC(7.1%).The greatest NU of corn of 140.4 kg N ha^(−1)was from soils treated with 100PL while the least amount of NU was from 100PC.Overall,our results showed promising significance for the treatment of highly weathered soils since the application of DB did enhance UA and improve TN and TIN in the soils.
